Fratello Summer Watch Picks 2025: Jorg’s Favorites From Tudor, Laventure, Nomos, And Rolex

In the last installment of our series on our favorite summer watches, Robert-Jan took a slightly different approach that I loved. Connecting watches to destinations made it more personal. Additionally, it sparked a lively discussion on a variety of topics in the comments. But my brain is also wired similarly to his. Whenever I think of summer watches, I associate them with places I have been or want to visit. That’s why I based my list of favorite summer watches on the combination of summer and locations.

Unlike Robert-Jan, I will limit the season to summer because it offers me direction regarding colors. I will spice up my look for the summer with some nice straps instead of a bracelet, my usual preference. And I will pick a nice dial color that I usually wouldn’t. That’s the perk of making lists like this: we aren’t bound by financial means or sensible choices in real-life situations. I’ll gladly use that to my advantage. So, in the end, sticking to summer for this list makes my life easier. But that’s enough talk; let’s see where I would travel and what specific watches would be on my wrist.

Destination: Istria, Croatia — Tudor Pelagos Ultra

I have been spending quite a bit of time on the Istrian Coast in Croatia over the past few years. In particular, the city of Pula and its surroundings have been a great place to spend time in the summer sun. It’s a place I’ve quickly fallen in love with thanks to its beautiful scenery, magically clear waters, amazing food, and genuinely nice people. After my fifth visit just a few weeks ago, I am already planning to go back later this summer.

Over time, I’ve learned that the best watch to take there is a sturdy diver that I can wear every day without worry, whether I’m jumping into the magical blue Mediterranean waters or exploring the stunning ancient city of Rovinj and its surroundings. For me, the new Tudor Pelagos Ultra is exactly that type of watch.

I love Tudor’s newest addition to the Pelagos lineup because its design is more modern than the standard Pelagos. Also, despite its impressively improved specs, at 43mm wide, the watch is only 1mm larger. When the Pelagos Ultra was first revealed during Watches and Wonders, I wasn’t blown away by it. It felt like a logical and solid addition to the lineup. But when I got my hands on it and first put it on my wrist, I was sold. Despite its size, it’s very wearable thanks to the smartly designed case and the use of lightweight titanium. Those two specific features make it a worry-free summer watch.

The light blue color of the Mediterranean waters

Additionally, the dial design looks very much like a Pelagos, but it feels fresher and crisper than its two namesake counterparts in the collection. This is due to the multilayered dial construction and the oversized luminous hour markers. Besides its functional properties that make it a perfect watch for the Istrian coast, the touch of light blue on the dial is a perfect reminder of the Adriatic Sea.

I only need that small touch of color to transport me to the beautiful waters of the Verudela Peninsula. It’s also present on the spring-loaded clasp, which features a light blue luminous indicator for the level of adjustment. It’s a subtle but nice touch. While the bracelet is perfect, I would also find a rubber strap in a similar blue shade to match the summer vibes of Pelagos Ultra with the weather in Istria.

Destination: North Carolina, USA — Nomos Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer Glacier

One of my favorite new series of watches is the sextet of Nomos Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer Limited Editions. While I enjoy the regular models, the six 175-piece limited editions are the ones that people went crazy for. Nomos has shown a great eye for brilliant dial colors. A good example is the series of 31 Tangente models that came out last year. It begs the question of why Nomos doesn’t use such outstanding colors for its regular collection, but that’s a discussion for another day. Out of the six Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer LEs, I adore the Glacier model the most. Despite the winter connotations of its name, it’s the perfect summer watch.

As this watch also offers multi-time functionality, I would choose it for my travels through different time zones. More specifically, I would wear this during a nice summer trip to the North Carolina coast. Over the past few years, I have visited the beautiful beaches of the American state several times.

Some of the amazing places I got to see during those trips made me fall in love with North Carolina. The trips to the beaches just south of Wilmington were some of the most relaxing beach holidays I have ever had. Combined with the great food, the tasty craft beers, and the many great people I met along the way, they are trips to remember.

A colorway that feels summery despite its wintery name

For a future trip, I would love to visit the Outer Banks, and I would pick this Nomos Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer Glacier. Its powdery blue dial matches the blue skies and turquoise waters perfectly. I love how the Nomos designers matched it with an off-white outer ring with the city codes. Additionally, the 24-hour indicator at 3 o’clock features two beautiful shades of red, with the lighter shade for daytime and the darker one for nighttime. It’s a nice injection of color that also matches the crown tube.

The watch was introduced on a stainless steel bracelet, which makes it comfortable for daily wear. However, I would also add a two-piece Nomos fabric strap to mix things up nicely. I adore this version of the Nomos Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer, and it was the favorite of many who saw the series during Watches and Wonders, so finding one might be a challenge. However, the brilliant combination of functions provided by the in-house caliber DUW 3202 and the attractive color scheme makes this the perfect companion to explore more of the North Carolina coast.

Destination: Amalfi Coast, Italy — Laventure Marine Type 3

I know this one also made Lex’s list of summer picks. But when a watch is as fun to wear and handsome as the Laventure Marine Type 3, it’s hard to leave it off a list like this. And as Daan mentioned, it would have also been one of his picks if Lex hadn’t “stolen” it. To be clear, we are talking about the version with the white luminous dial and the mint-green rubber strap. It’s a stunning combination of colors that would make this watch my pick for a road trip along the Italian Amalfi Coast, ending with a couple of days on the beautiful island of Capri.

I haven’t been to that part of Italy yet, but ever since my internship at a travel magazine 22 years ago, I’ve heard nothing but praise from everyone who has traveled there. Bring out the Alfa Romeo 1300 GT Junior, and I’m good to go with this watch on my wrist. I must admit that my initial impressions of the Marine Type 3 weren’t the best. I have come to love Laveture’s design style, but I wasn’t sure about this case due to its wide bezel. Additionally, the dial looked small, and the design with the large 60-minute/second scale was somewhat busy.

First impressions did not last

But I also know that Laventure founder Clément Gaud has a great eye for design. The brand’s Transatlantique GMT is one of my favorite designs of recent times. Gaud has managed to design watches that take stylistic influences from some industry greats while remaining instantly recognizable as Laventure models. With the Marine Type 3, that is no different, but it took me a bit to get used to it. As soon as the watches landed on Daan’s desk for review, though, I was sold. The combination of the super-slim Grade 23 titanium case, the full-lume dial, and the mint-green rubber strap is a winner.

The impact was even greater when I put the watch on. With an 8.9mm profile, the titanium case sits so well on the wrist, and the 2.3mm-thick domed Plexiglass on top adds a ton of character. It protects a full-lume dial that makes the smile on my face even bigger. When I first saw the images of the dial, I was confused. The outer black numerals for the minutes almost looked more prominent than the hour scale.

However, Clément Gaud ensured that the hierarchy was on point, with the hour numerals not only bigger but also thicker. A detail I adore is the sandblasted matte black handset. It works incredibly well against the white lume dial. I could continue singing this song of praise for a bit, but the Laventure Marine Type 3 is the watch I would want on my wrist while exploring the Italian Amalfi Coast in an Alfa Romeo 1300 GT Junior.

Destination: New York, USA — Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ref. 126518LN

My last pick is the brilliant turquoise-dial Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ref. 126518LN. I had the pleasure of trying it, and it impressed me tremendously. I had written the introduction article based on the press images, and liked the watch as far as I could judge.

But once I had the chance to put it on my wrist, it made a much bigger impact on me than I could have imagined. The extravagant dial color is an acquired taste, and I recognize that, but the combination of elements makes it a lot more sophisticated than you might expect. The dial sits within an 18K yellow gold case topped by a gold bezel with a black Cerachrom insert. That bezel insert and the black Oysterflex bracelet help to tone down the flashiness quite effectively.

Add the black sub-dials, the refinement of the hour markers, and the text on the dial, and the composition becomes much more layered and balanced than my initial impression suggested. Before I had this Daytona on my wrist, I would never have picked a Rolex on a black Oysterflex bracelet. But besides its great comfort, it works wonders in keeping this a stylish timepiece.

Off to see the pros play tennis at the US Open in New York

As some of you know, I am a big tennis fan. I have played the sport ever since I was seven years old, and I still enjoy watching the pros play. After Nadal and especially Federer said goodbye to playing on the big stage, I thought my devotion to the game might decrease. Thankfully, though, with Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, João Fonseca, Flavio Cobolli, and Jakub Menšík, there’s plenty of talent to create an exciting new era for the sport. Late summer is the time for the US Open, the last Grand Slam tournament of the year.

In the footsteps of Carlos Alcaraz, who has worn the watch during Roland-Garros and Wimbledon, I would wear this to the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens to watch two weeks of exciting tennis. Okay, maybe not a full two weeks straight since I also need some Long Island beach time to balance out the potentially scorching New York heat. But I would love this colorful Daytona to be on my wrist during a nice tennis-themed trip to the US because it is one of the most impressive watches I’ve worn recently.

Final thoughts on my favorite summer watches

There you have it — my four watch picks for the summer of 2025. Before you head off to the comments to write about the possible dangers of wearing the Daytona in New York, remember that this is purely an imagination-driven list of watches I would love to wear in much-desired summer situations. That said, I do love all four of my picks, and I’d be thrilled to add them to my collection and wear them all year round. That’s how good they are for me, but they shine particularly brightly during the long summer days!